The festival, the brainchild of tourism minister John Amaratunga, will be a special treat for the many thousands of foreign visitors enjoying the seasonal hospitality of the capital’s many luxury hotels.

MirrorBusiness reports that the event will include “non-stop entertainment by leading pop groups and artistes, tri-forces bands, choral groups and cultural shows providing both local and foreign tourists a memorable experience”.

A special double-decker bus service will be available to shuttle visitors and tourists from selected Colombo hotels daily to and from the festival, and provide an opportunity for a bit of city sightseeing.

The Sri Lanka Tea Board will feature a tea tasting center with a display of the many varieties of tea available in the island.

And a gourmet food festival by 15 leading Colombo hotels and restaurants will add culinary spice with demonstrations of different cuisines, include Mongolian, Arabic, Chinese, Malaysian, Thai, Korean, Italian, Indian, Japanese and Indonesian.